Jan. 13, 2017 (Volume 6, Number 1)

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​It’s official. The Texas 85th Legislative Session has begun. The first day of the 140-day session convened on Tuesday, January 10, and both chambers began the business of the people at noon. Even before members gaveled into session, more than 1,300 bills were pre-filed.

While the official workday at the Capitol began this week, the DCCCD office of public and governmental affairs began preparing in 2016. Chancellor Joe May met with members, committee chairs and stakeholders, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker of the House Joe Straus to address issues that are important to students, faculty and staff.

DCCCD Chancellor Joe May (far right) meets with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (4th from right) and other community college leaders

We want to ensure that Texas remains competitive and is the #1 place for economic development and workforce training.

“Recruit Texas” redirects current funds within the Texas Workforce Commission.

The program can include assessment, employee recruitment, safety training and leadership development.

Throughout the session, we will track these and other bills that affect DCCCD - like funding for the Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) – as they make their way through the legislative process. We also partner with our association, the
Texas Association of Community Colleges, and align on important issues. We will provide a link and post bills to watch in future newsletters. As always, please feel free to contact our office with any questions.

State Money

Even before the House and Senate begin assigning members to committees, the first step is to identify how much money has been generated and how much funding is available. This week, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar released the
Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE), which projected that the state has approximately $104.87 billion in revenue available to allocate for the 2018-2019 budget.

DCCCD actively monitors issues and advocacy in Washington, D.C. Two of those issues are important: (1) the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act; and (2) the restoration of summer Pell Grants. We will share more information once a Secretary of Education is confirmed and the new administration takes office.

Finis

Every Texas legislative session takes on a life of its own. Committee assignments and chairs will change for various reasons, many barbeques will be held, some bills will fly through the process, and others will be passed at the very end. When it happens, your DCCCD team will be engaged in Austin -- tracking bills and sharing notes, stories and links with you. We also ask you to participate…to sign up for, and forward our newsletter…to truly make an impact and help us pass policy for the benefit of our students, faculty and staff. We need your help to support our advocacy efforts.